Inset: John Finney (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office). Background: The block in Illinois where Finney and his wife lived (Google Maps).
A man in Illinois has learned his fate for killing his wife and then driving around in his Ford Escape with her body in the trunk.
John W. Finney, 52, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 42-year-old Amy J. Finney. After being found guilty, he was sentenced to 75 years in prison, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office announced.
Deputies said that on Sept. 1, 2025, at about 8 p.m., they received a report about a possible homicide in Jefferson County. They began searching for the vehicle of interest, a gray 2007 Ford Escape.
About an hour later, an officer with the Christopher Police Department spotted the vehicle, and, along with other officers, pulled the vehicle over. John Finney was inside, and he was detained.
Officers did a "sweep" of the vehicle and found Amy Finney dead inside. "While this was happening, Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputies discovered evidence to support the crime scene was at the Finney residence," the sheriff's office added.
Crime scene investigators began searching for evidence at the couple's home. "Preliminary evidence gathered strongly supports that Amy Finney died from a gunshot wound during a domestic dispute with John at their home," the sheriff's office said the next day.
Investigators believed John Finney killed his wife on Aug. 31, 2025, and then spent several hours driving around with her body inside his Ford Escape the following day before he was arrested, regional CBS and The CW affiliate KFVS reported. Amy Finney was found in the hatchback of the vehicle.
After being sentenced, Finney was returned to jail. Authorities say he will be transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections to serve his time.
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